Let Your Love Prove His Worth

It’s sometimes thought that justification (being declared righteous by God) is God’s work and
sanctification (the process of truly growing in righteousness and holiness) is our work. But Scripture says
different: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and
soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he
will surely do it.” God is, right now, in the process of making Christians more like Himself in our
thinking, speaking, acting, and character. So we must not disconnect Hebrews 13:1-6 (a passage
containing commands about our sanctification) from what came before:
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to
God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
We will grow in our obedience to commands such as those found in this passage by living in gratitude,
with our eyes fixed on God and His gracious promises to us. As we give thanks to God, our trust in Him
will grow, and we will be among those who “let brotherly love continue.”